Convergence
by Cottonball428
Summary: *Setting: Post-Winter War*/ Naomi returns to the Seireitei after a long recovery from the Winter War. While coping with the physical, mental and emotional repercussions of the war, she must also face a new threat that intends to wreak havoc on her home.
1. Boredom

**Boredom**

"_Cat and mouse, you say?" _

_The velvety voice of her former captain, which once brought her comfort, now sent only tremors of fear down her back as she faced him in one of the alleyways of Fake Karakura Town._

_Naomi found she could not sense his presence, though she was standing but a few meters away from the spot where he stood. She quickly chalked it up to that glowing orb in the middle of his chest. Fusing with the Hōgyoku had morphed him significantly; the handsome man he once was no longer existed. Gone were the soft brown eyes that enthralled her when she first met him. His eyes were a piercing gray now, much like her own, with purple sclera. His dark brown hair was significantly longer, the strand that hung loosely in front of face falling to his shoulder. His zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, sat glaringly in his hand. _**No, **_Naomi realized, analyzing at it some more. It had _fused_with his hand. The more she looked at him, the more she realized he was not the same man that showed her kindness when she arrived in Seireitei. This…thing in front of her was a monster._

_He smirked and took a step forward. Naomi's hands tightened around the handles of her jitte and her already tense body coiled even more tightly._

"_I like that," Aizen mused. "It implies that you've finally recognized me as a predator."_

_Naomi scoffed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. He was still as cocky as ever. _

"_I just don't understand why you're wasting time chasing children," she retorted scathingly. "It's a bit beneath you, don't you think, Sosuke?"_

_Sosuke raised an eyebrow. It intrigued him that she still addressed him by his first name. He wondered what was going on that head of hers. _

"_Why have you come here, Sixth Seat Reed?" he inquired, ignoring her previous remark. _

_Naomi glared at him. "What?"_

"_It was a foolish decision to come here. Surely you must have realized that you standing in my presence at this very moment means I have already defeated the leaders of the Gotei 13, including your beloved new captain. What is there left for you to do except die, Sixth Seat Reed?"_

_Naomi continued to gaze at him evenly as a shiver ran down her back from the cold truth of his statement. For all she knew, everyone in Fake Karakura Town was dead. Her captain. Her friends. And…_

_Sorrow filled her throat but Naomi swallowed it down, the grip on her weapon tightening._

"_You know me, Aizen," she spat. "I've always wanted to go out with a bang."_

"_No," Aizen dismissed knowingly. "You're smarter than that."_

"_Don't talk as if you know me," she snarled._

_An amused smirk appeared on Aizen's face. "But I do."_

_She blinked and Aizen suddenly wasn't in front of her anymore. _

"_I know you quite well," his voice purred from behind her, his breath in her ear. His hand was gently caressing her cheek. Naomi's veins turned ice cold. Her eyes widened and her lungs stopped working. Her jitte clattered to the ground._

"_My touch should have wiped you out of existence. It is only because I am allowing you to exist that you continue to do so."_

_She couldn't form a single thought. Time had slowed down and she was still trying to process his words._

"_You should see your face. You've never looked more stunning," he whispered._

_Naomi wasn't listening to him anymore. She could only hear every thump of her heart; it was like a countdown to the end._

_Aizen pulled her into him and breathed in her scent; a sweet vanilla with a hint of lavender. His hands traveled lower and lower until they reached the porcelain, smooth skin of her thighs. Slowly, he moved her long dark hair to one side and placed his lips against her elegant neck._

"_I've always admired this neck of yours" he murmured against her skin._

_Naomi was numb, unfeeling; she was about to die and there was nothing she could do._

"_I thought you came here to fight, no?" Sosuke smiled and slowly lifted Kyoka Suigetsu into the air. _

"_Goodbye, Sixth Seat Reed."_

* * *

><p>A high-pitch scream sounded throughout the wooden cabin, alerting its elderly owner. Sighing, she got up, flipping her feet over the side of the bed and sliding on her slippers. Her petite form, dressed in a flowery silk robe, traveled down the upstairs hallway, stopping at the door at the very end. The scream was very much still ongoing and much louder at this distance. The elderly woman's head leaned against the door, her eyes shut tight before entering the room.<p>

The raven-haired young woman sat up in bed, shrieking at the top of her lungs like a banshee. Her skin was dewy with sweat and the loose strands of her wavy hair, knotted in a bun on top of her head, stuck to her forehead. She gripped the white sheets with panicked strength. Her eyes were clenched shut and the veins in her forehead popped out with the force of her voice.

The old woman strode casually over to the side of the bed before taking a seat on it.

"Naomi," she called to her gently. Her voice was barely audible over the younger woman's shriek.

"Naomi," she repeated, this time a little more sternly. The shriek went on uninterrupted.

A few seconds later, the old woman delivered a hard slap to Naomi's cheek, effectively silencing her. She panted and blinked, gazing around the room dazedly. Her gray eyes eventually focused on the old woman and she breathed a quiet apology.

Lady Rinako hummed, lighting the oil lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. "I thought you were finally over this. It's been weeks since the last time you woke up like that."

Naomi grabbed the glass of water sitting on the nightstand and gulped it down to cure her parched throat. She sighed upon setting the glass down.

"I thought I was, too."

Lady Rinako frowned and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Naomi fought the urge to flinch away.

"I'm not so sure you're ready to return. I'm sure that old coot wouldn't mind if you stayed another week or month or year."

Naomi smiled at the woman, the dimple in her left cheek deepening. "You're right," she conceded. "I'm sure my captain wouldn't mind. I've been here for 3 months and I've enjoyed every minute of it but-"  
>Lady Rinako waved her hand dismissively. "But nothing! Stay!"<p>

Naomi gestured to a letter on the nightstand. Central 46's dark red letterhead was etched into the thick parchment. "But to _them, _my return is of the utmost urgency," she oozed sarcastically. "I've _got_ to go back."

Lady Rinako's hazel eyes narrowed. "I've always hated those old bastards."

"Ditto."

The light of dawn crept through the window. Naomi got up, stretching.

"You'll be so bored," the old woman noted. "All that awaits you back in the Seireitei is a heaping pile of paperwork and training schedules and-," she shuddered, "-rules."

A small smile began to form over Naomi's face.

"I dunno," she said wistfully. "I think I could use a little boredom."


	2. Blur

**Blur**

Using all her strength, Naomi managed to knot the opening of the heavy sack and close it completely. Breathing heavily, she glared at Lady Rinako who sat meditating on the porch a few feet away.

"With all the shit you threw in there, you could have at least helped me shut the damn thing," Naomi snipped. Her face was red and her hands ached from spending the past 45 minutes pulling on the rope. She wore a simple pale blue yukata and sandals with no socks. Her dark shoulder-length hair was bound in a high ponytail.

"You are a bird leaving the nest; you no longer need me. And watch your tongue." Lady Rinako, eyes still closed, replied.

Naomi rolled her eyes and walked over to the elderly woman, falling to her knees in front of her. She took her hands in her own and patiently waited for her to open her eyes. A few minutes later, one of them popped open.

"What?" Lady Rinako barked.

"I just want to thank you for showing me so much kindness throughout the years. I don't know how I would have survived in this world without you," Naomi began sincerely.

Lady Rinako's face did not soften.

"You are the most incredible woman I've ever met. Thank you for always treating me with your own special brand of kindness; for treating me like your own daughter." Naomi bowed and stood up, turning to leave. She kept it purposefully short; Lady Rinako was not one for sentiment.

Suddenly, small but sturdy arms wrapped around her hips. The short elderly woman buried her face against Naomi's back. Naomi felt her eyes stinging with tears at the gesture.

"Be safe, you fool," Lady Rinako whispered. "Stop making this old woman worry about you so much. Don't give those Central 46 bastards a reason to kill you. And no more of that 'see you next year' crap either. I'm old and you're a Shinigami; our time is limited. I don't care if it's just for a day. If I don't see your face at least once by the end of the summer, I'm coming to the Seireitei and dragging you out by your hair!"

Naomi, now openly crying, laughed. She turned around and hugged the woman back. "I'm gonna miss you, too."

Lady Rinako became more than her friend and mentor in these trying times; she became family. Family Naomi had craved since she died and woke up in the Soul Society. She had always been there for Naomi when she needed her and Naomi knew she always would be.

* * *

><p>After leaving Lady Rinako's house, Naomi took the path that led her into the local village to say goodbye to her friends.<p>

"We don't want you to go!" Chika, the youngest in the group of children, whined. She clung to Naomi's neck in a vain attempt to weigh her down. Twin boys, Isao and Isamu had their arms wrapped around her ankles and various other children were pulling on other parts of her body.

Naomi could have easily shook them off; after all, she slashed through the flesh and bone of Hollow for a living. But she was enjoying spending these last moments with them. It saddened her she wouldn't be able to see them every day anymore.

"I have to! Duty calls, you guys!" Naomi fake-struggled walking past the fountain where the kids had ambushed her. The older villagers looked on, amused by the spectacle they were making.

"No!" the children shouted in unison.

"Okay," Naomi wheezed, slowly falling to her knees. "You guys win." Finally, she collapsed and the children piled on top of her, cheering in victory. When they managed to disentangle themselves, they were shocked to see their friend was no longer at the bottom of the pile.

"Wow. You guys sure did a number on her," Naomi whistled, sitting casually on the roof of the tiny restaurant biting into a red apple.

The children's eyes widened and they ran over to the entrance, pouting up at her. "That's not fair! You cheated again!" Chika, a tiny girl with red hair, whined. Naomi leaned over the roof and gaped at them incredulously.

"You all ganged up on me! I think that constitutes as cheating as well!"

"It is not!" Isao and Isamu said at the same time. Isamu continued, "You're bigger than us. We used strength in numbers."

Naomi raised an eyebrow. "And that was a very good strategy. But you'll need a lot more kids than that. I have entire unit on call ready to drag me back to Seireitei," Naomi joked half-heartedly. She really wondered if that was the case.

One of the older kids, Ryu, crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "We're ready whenever they are."

Naomi grinned, the dimple in her left cheek deepening. She would miss these kids so much. She would miss this village even more. Sagara, located in the District 12 of South Rukongai, was a relatively wealthy area with little to no crime. It was no wonder that after leaving Seireitei, Lady Rinako retreated to this small village of no more than 200 people. It was one of the smallest populace in all Rukongai. Everyone generally got along, aside from the occasional neighborly disputes. And outsiders hardly gave them trouble; Lady Rinako, though she usually kept to herself, acted as the de facto guardian of Sagara. Nobody wanted to mess with her.

Hopping down from her post, Naomi landed in the center of the group and dealt all of them tight hugs, promising she would be back soon.

Grabbing her travel sack, she threw it over her shoulder before waving goodbye and continuing on her way through the village. When she reached the wooden arch that served as the entrance to the village, she was wary to see Umi, the blind, old fortune teller. She stood in the middle of the dirt path, as if waiting for Naomi. Naomi found her incredibly creepy.

"Umi," Naomi greeted politely enough. "You came to see me off."

Umi, a plump woman with purplish-gray hair, snorted. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Naomi, despite the other woman's unseeing eyes, held back a smirk.

"And to think I came all this way to give you a free reading."

Naomi grimaced. "No, thank you. I don't-,"

"Sh!" Umi snapped. She reached into the loose sleeve of the eggplant-colored kimono she wore and slowly pulled out one of her famous tarot cards. She held it up to Naomi. "I was thinking of last night-," Naomi flinched at her words "-and I pulled this card out. Do you see what this means?"

_Do you? _Naomi joked to herself. She squinted at the card. There was a picture of a woman in a blue robe with a cross embedded in the front of it. "Uh, I think it means that I look great in blue? Thanks, I know." Naomi gasped, looking down at her outfit and back at Umi. "Omigosh, I'm wearing blue today! How did you know?"

Umi huffed impatiently. "It is a good thing you are so pretty because that head of yours is as empty as a balloon!"

"Did you just call me an airhead?" Naomi snapped at Umi. "And how would you know if I was pretty?"

The wrinkled lady scowled at her and adjusted the cat-eye black sunglasses over her face. Naomi had always wondered where she had gotten such a stylish pair. The only sunglass glass shop she knew of was the one where her friend Renji got his usual pair and that was in the first district of Rukongai.

"Pay attention, girl!" Umi growled at the younger woman. "The High Priestess represents wisdom, serenity, knowledge and understanding. During your journey you may deterred by unforeseen circumstances. This card is meant to tell you to follow your instincts and-,"

Naomi yawned, uninterested. "Yeah, okay Umi. See ya next time." She picked up her sack and began walking away.

"Heed my warning, girl!" the woman warned ominously. "Be wary! Follow your intuition!"

Naomi didn't respond, saluting Umi with a casual wave goodbye. Naomi never liked the occult/divination gimmicks that some people seemed to find so entertaining. Of course, she couldn't deny that some people were in fact spiritual aware enough to see or communicate with spirits. But people claiming to predict the future with tarot cards and crystal balls was ludicrous and fraudulent in Naomi's opinion.

An inconspicuous black bird sat on a branch watching the entire exchange from the shadows of the forest. When Naomi turned on her heel and began walking away from Umi, the bird still watched the old woman, its eyes gleaming with regard. It took off abruptly, soaring ahead of the ebony-haired traveler.

* * *

><p>The sun hung high in the sky Naomi as she lounged in the shade of a large tree, eating a late lunch and resting her feet. This trip was not a trip she made often and with good reason: she hated all the walking.<p>

_The Twelfth Division can make cell phones that track Hollows, skin that Shinigami can put on and move entire cities to another dimension but they still haven't created an interstate system, _Naomi grumbled, wiping sweat off her forehead. Of course, it wouldn't be that bad once when she reached the Eigth District. Once there, she would take a specialized senkaimon that would allow her to travel to the Seireitei. She'd be home in no time after that.

Naomi hummed a tune to herself and typed some information into her _denreishinki _to figure out her current coordinates_. _A lovely breeze blew the loose waves of her dark hair now free from the ponytail.

_Current location: District 8, Izumi, _the screen of the _denreishinki _read.

_So I should be home by midnight, _Naomi mused before laying down in the grass, her back resting comfortably against the tree trunk. She closed her eyes. Her body felt relaxed but her mind was racing.

_Three months I've been gone, _Naomi thought anxiously. _I can't be naïve to expect everything to be like it was before. _

How would her friends react to her return? Had they even missed her? Would they be afraid of her? All these questions ran through her mind. _No, _Naomi dismissed the ideas. _I'm still the same person I was before. They'll be able to see that._

As Naomi gazed up at the canopy of leaves above her, her vision began to blur and she cursed. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the growing ringing in her ear.

"No," she mumbled to herself. "No more. Not now." She scrambled up to her knees and pressed her forehead against the tree trunk. The ringing grew louder and Naomi gripped the trunk, her nails digging to the bark with excess force. The blurred images began to become clearer in her mind and she shook her head, willing them away.

"Please no," Naomi begged some invisible force. "Please-,"

_- Two fair-haired little girls dressed in elaborate princess costumes sat on the floor in a playroom littered with toys. The younger one pouted as she waved a Ken doll in the air. "I don't wanna be the boy anymore, Naomi!" she whined. "It's your turn!" Naomi paused brushing her Barbie's hair to regard her baby sister frustratingly. "I was the boy last time! And we just started! Just play the husband for a little while longer and then we'll switch."_

"_No!" her little sister shouted, throwing the Ken doll against the wall. "I wanna be Barbie!" Her sister tried to tug the Barbie out of her hands but Naomi held on tightly. "Stop being a little brat, Katie!" Naomi growled, tugging back with all her might. Katie gave one big pull before she lost her grip and flew backwards, her head smacking onto the floor. Naomi's big gray eyes went wide as she watched the four year-old open her mouth and release her biggest wail yet._

"_DAAAAAAAADDY!" Katie cried, tears streaming down her face, "NAOMI HURT ME!" Naomi's jaw dropped incredulously. She didn't do anything! She rushed towards her sister and clamped a hand over her mouth. _

"_Shut up!" she whispered harshly. "That was your own fault, dummy!"_

_Katie scowled at her and maneuvered her mouth away from her hand. "AND NOW SHE'S CALLING ME NAMES, DADDY!"_

"_You brat!" Naomi shouted, raising her hand to give her something to cry about when the door opened and a bespectacled brunette man peered in._

"_What are my little ladies up to now-?"_

Abruptly, the image changed and the ringing grew sharper. Naomi hissed, clenching her teeth.

_The wind tossed the young girl's blonde locks around carelessly as the red '54 Corvette zoomed down the gorgeous California coast at sunset. It outside was lined with silver trim while the interior was almost blinding white. She looked up at her father whose face was the real life interpretation of contentment. A tiny smile bubbled on his lips but his green eyes crinkled with exultation as he steered with ease. Naomi's own face reflected his happiness. Since Katie had come home from the hospital, they hadn't been able to spend much father-daughter time together and Naomi, quite shamefully, felt neglected. The five-year old understood that her new sister needed a lot of attention but she missed _her_ papa._

_A warm hand squeezed her shoulder and Naomi beamed at up at her father who smiled at her._

"_Happy birthday, sweetheart."_

"_Thanks, daddy."_

Naomi squeezed her head tightly in her hands as the visual switched up once more. Her head was pounding and she contemplated banging her head against the tree until she fell unconscious.

_The teenage girl moaned as strong hands roamed her body and another's tongue danced in her mouth. Her arms were hooked behind her lover's shoulder blades, pulling him closer. His knee placed between her thighs rubbed against her clothed core, making her purr in his ear._

_The station wagon shook with their ministrations and the windows were completely fogged up. Outside in the drive-thru movie theater, a movie played but neither of them could have cared less at that moment. They were both hot and shirtless._

_His lips left her mouth only to pursue the flesh of her neck, drawing more short breaths from his lover._

_"Toshi," she breathed. He didn't stop as his mouth moved lower on her chest._

_She said his name again and he finally paused, looking up in irritation._

_"What is it now?" he nearly growled. His jeans had become uncomfortable tight in their current make-out session._

_The girl bit her swollen bottom lip, looking down at her hands anxiously. "Well, I j-just wanted to say that I-I,"_

_He looked impatient. _

_"I love you," she finished, closing her eyes to his reaction._

_For a long minute, there was silence. And then she felt a soft hand under her chin. He lifted her head up to face him and kissed her. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt her bra being undone and gasped, covering her bare chest._

_He smirked. "You don't have to hide from me, Naomi." He pulled her arms apart and gazed at her chest. "You are so beautiful."_

_Naomi smiled at him and pulled his lips back to hers._

_She never noticed he didn't say "I love you, too."_

* * *

><p>Her skull made contact with the tree trunk and Naomi was once more returned to the present. Hard sobs shook her entire body and the tears mixed with blood running down her face. Naomi's breath came out erratic as she held herself. Her chest still ached like it did all those years ago and Naomi cursed.<p>

_Why, _she seethed, _why is this happening to me?_

"What did you do to me?" Naomi asked aloud, the image of Aizen appearing in her mind. "You _bastard!"_

There was a rustling of the trees and Naomi instantly sat up straight, only to freeze when she felt the sharp tip of a blade at the back of her neck. From the corner of her eyes, she saw two figures in the standard all-black Onmitsukidō uniform. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat.

"Now, now," the one with the blade at her cooed. Her eyes, the only visible part of her face, were sharp and colored like coal.

"What kind of greeting is that?"

* * *

><p>Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe was making his way towards his captain's office when a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder. He looked warily at Ryuichi Takabe, the fifth seat of his division. He was a tall, tan man with shaggy brown hair and a thick circle beard. His dark blue eyes crinkled as he grinned at the lieutenant.<p>

"Yo Chojiro! How's it going?"

Chojiro shrugged out of his grip. "Fine, I suppose. I'm on my way to see the captain. Did you need something, Fifth Seat Takabe?"

Ryuichi frowned. "No need to be so formal Cho! I thought you and me were pals."

Chojiro's brow twitched at the silly nickname Ryuichi bestowed upon him years ago. Ryuichi had been the fifth seat for some fifty-odd years. He was relatively new and while his laidback attitude was popular among his peers, it rubbed Chojiro the wrong way. He much preferred the previous fifth seat, a much more serious man who unfortunately died in the line of duty. Chojiro was able to tolerate Ryuichi for the most part but at that moment, he was a bit on edge.

"You know I detest that dastardly nickname," Chojiro reminded him gruffly. Ryuichi struggled holding back a smirk. "Now, did you actually need something?"

Ryuichi looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Well, you see, there's been some rumors flying around here lately and I believe you're the only person around here who can confirm or deny them."

Chojiro rolled his eyes and continued on his way. "I wouldn't give half a mind to the rumors you hear, Mr. Takabe. Most of them are hardly ever true."

"So you haven't heard the rumor that Naomi's set to come back tonight?" Ryuichi shouted after him.

Chojiro stiffened and abruptly turned on his heel, staring at the other man through narrowed gold eyes. "And where exactly did you hear that?"

Ryuichi shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Does it matter? It's like you said, 'most of them are hardly ever true'," he mocked. "Although judging from your reaction, I'd say this one hit the nail on the head." He turned, only to be nose-to-nose with his superior's serious face. Ryuichi gulped.

"You are not to speak of this to anyone," Chojiro commanded warningly. "No one can know that she's returning."

"Why not?" Ryuichi demanded. "Hell, I know she fuc- messed up but Naomi still one of us. What's with all the secrecy?"

Chojiro's expression turned grave and Ryuichi frowned. This was more serious than he thought. "Because," Chojiro sighed. "Come tomorrow afternoon, she may no longer be one of us."


	3. Criminal

**Criminal**

Head still spinning from a few moments ago, Naomi attempted to clarify this sudden turn of events.

"Wait just a minute," Naomi breathed. She felt nauseous.

"You don't have a minute," the girl barked harshly before digging her foot into Naomi's back, shoving the woman into the tree trunk with excessive force. Naomi's head slammed into the bark, drawing more blood from the already busted skin. Naomi's eyes widened in shock before rolling to the back of her head. She slumped to the side, falling to the ground.

The male removed his mask, gazing at Naomi's unconscious form with a raised eyebrow. He had dark eyes and shaggy, copper hair. "A bit much don't 'cha think, Kou?" he mused to his companion who simply shrugged.

"Captain Soi Fon did give us permission to use force if necessary," Kou replied simply, taking off her own mask. She shared the same hair color as the man. She had a petite figure and could have been described as pretty if her brow didn't appear to be permanently furrowed.

The man knelt down beside Naomi, lifting one of her eyelids open. He shook his head. "I don't think asking for a second constitutes as necessary."

"Well," Kou snapped, "for all we know, she was about to get belligerent. She _is _mentally unstable, after all. You saw the way she banging her head against the tree, Masaru. I mean, what person in their right mind does that?"

Masaru's gaze stayed Naomi's face. He observed the torn skin and rivets of blood that dripped down her face. He sighed. "In any case," he mumbled, grasping Naomi under her backside and throwing her over his shoulder. "You're going to have to carry her stuff _and_ our stuff, now. She's too heavy for you, not that you would offer to carry her anyways."

Kou huffed indignantly. "Fine."

Masaru chuckled as he began the trail home. "That's what you get for knocking her out cold, my dear sister. Now she gets to be cradled yours truly and you have to carry her things. I guess, in a way, you could say she won?"

He laughed when he heard Kou scream in outrage behind him and shunpo'd ahead to avoid the inevitable tantrum that was coming his way.

_The house before her was a modest, two-story home located on the corner of a street with similar-looking homes in Karakura Town. Naomi had been wandering aimlessly around the small city for about an hour, carefully stepping over the bodies of its citizens and awing at what she knew as cars. She found the place extremely fascinating. The buildings were so tall and glassy. She found herself examining her reflection as she passed by all the shops and buildings. The citizens' clothes were just like the ones Rangiku Matsumoto brought back from her trips to the World of the Living. _

_But as she wandered, this gnawing feeling began tugging at the inside of her mind. It almost felt like déjà vu but Naomi was sure she hadn't been there before, having been on a mission to the Human World only once before, to some rural village where they spoke a language she had no hope of understanding. Still, the feeling only grew stronger as time passed and she found herself walking the streets like she knew where she was going. That was until she came across the house._

_So there she was, standing behind the little black gate that she didn't think would do much in keeping anything out. A stone pathway led to the black door. The house itself was a faded yellow with a black roof and window panes. A balcony was perched right above the door. Moss grew along the sides of the walls. The small garden in the front yard was overgrown. One of the windows was busted. The place looked long abandoned._

_But Naomi still felt herself drawn to it. As she gazed, Naomi went back in time and began to see what the house might have been in its prime. She saw a beautiful shade of saffron and the roof and windows were as black as ink. The windows were crack free and spotless. The garden was full of tulips or maybe even daisies. Naomi was sure it was lovely either way. The whole place radiated so much warmth. It brought a smile to her face. Her hand had grasped the gate handle and began to push when a large explosion sounded nearby._

Naomi gasped and jerked forward, only to slam right back against the tree trunk her arms were chained around.

"Ou-ch," she whined of the sharp pain. She tried to swallow but her mouth was as dry as cotton. Bugs buzzed annoyingly around her face. She tried to see through the fogginess in her vision as she focused on the scene in front of her. The moon was high in the sky as two figures stood at the mouth of a mountain pass, appearing to be arguing though Naomi couldn't hear what they were saying. A dim senkaimon appeared in the air between them.

She pulled at the chains, a vain attempt to get free. It felt like all the energy had been zapped out of her. The jingling attracted the attention of her capturers. Naomi stared coldly as the man began making his way over to her after saying something to woman.

"So you're finally awake," he said as he came to a stop right before her with a smirk on his face. "I guess Kou fucked you up worse than I thought."

Naomi gathered up all the saliva she could and spit at his feet.

The man _tsked_. "Hey now: that's no way to behave towards the person who bandaged you up. Show some gratitude."

Naomi noticed the familiar tingle of _kaido _on her forehead and tight gauze wrapped around her waist. Her expression remained unchanged.

"What kind of kidnapper heals the person they're kidnapping?" she questioned, struggling against the bindings.

"The kind of kidnapper who's not kidnapping you. I healed you because you were bleeding all over my uniform," he replied smartly. "You should stop moving around so much. You'll just waste the little energy you have left after being wrapped in those _sekiseki _chains for so long."

Naomi's eyes widened. _No wonder I feel so drained._

"If you're not kidnapping me than what do you want with me?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're taking you back to the Seireitei. Under direct orders from Central 46," he added, as if that was supposed to impress her.

Naomi snorted.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing… I just can't believe Central 46 thought to send a couple kids as security detail for me," she admitted incredulously. "I guess my reputation doesn't count for anything."

The man's eyes narrowed. "These "kids" are well-trained assassins who managed to subdue _you_ quite easily. And you're right; your reputation doesn't count for shit. What's left of it, anyway."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Naomi asked with a clench jaw.

The smirk returned and he squat down to be eye-level with her. "You probably thought that you were going to come back to Seireitei and everything would be fine and dandy, right?" He laughed when she didn't respond. "I guess being in a coma made you crazy _and _deluded. We-," he gestured to himself and the girl who appeared to be speaking quite aggressively on a denreishinki. "-are not security detail. We weren't assigned to protect you. We were assigned to make sure you came back. Whether you wanted to or not."

"Why wouldn't I come back? Seireitei is my home." There was growing anxiety in the pit of her stomach and Naomi suddenly felt nauseous. _Something isn't right, _she thought to herself worriedly. Something much more serious had to be going on than Central 46 believing she would desert her post just because she feared what people would think of her.

Unfortunately Naomi got an answer because just as the man opened his mouth to speak, the young woman let out a scream of frustration and threw the denreishinki a distance away. The man stood up and turned around to look at her with sour expression. "Kou, what the hell?" he demanded. "That was mine!"

Kou returned his glare with an equally angry one. "Yeah and it died just as I was about to connect to the Institute. Dammit, Masaru! I thought I told you to charge it before we left, idiot!"

"Well, I forgot! Where the hell is yours?"

"I don't have it," she replied through clenched teeth. "It's been messing up so I sent it over to the Institute to get it fixed last week. So now we don't have any way of getting into contact with them so they can fix this stupid senkaimon!" She let out another growl of frustration.

Naomi looked at the unlit portal and frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

Masaru sighed exasperatedly before answering her question. "We have no idea. The shoji doors will slide open but the actual door itself remains closed. We've been trying to get into contact with the SRDI and the Kido Corps for hours with no luck."

"Hours?" Naomi said disbelievingly. "What time is it?"

"It's probably past midnight by now," he grumbled. "Which means we're past due on delivering you to-," He stopped himself, glancing uneasily at Naomi who's eyes narrowed. "Delivering me to whom?"

"Nobody," he lied, turning to the girl. "Kou, let's-,"

"Don't you dare change the subject," Naomi threatened coldly. "Earlier today, I said goodbye to some of the best people I've ever met because Central 46 commanded I come back. I did so willingly. They didn't mention I would be ambushed by two kids and chained up with _sekiseki_ to a tree for hours. So why don't you and that midget chick over there explain to me why Central 46 deemed these security measures so necessary?"

They both stood in silence for a moment before Masaru opened his mouth to speak but Kou interrupted him. She stepped towards Naomi slowly, a quizzical expression on her face. "Are you really this dense?" she asked. "Weren't you a member of the Stealth Force at some point? You see our uniforms, don't you? We haven't killed you so obviously we're not here to assassinate you. You've obviously seen us so we can't possibly be on a reconnaissance mission. So what could our presence here possibly mean?"

Naomi stared at her, processing her words slowly. And then it dawned on her and the only word that could find its way to her lips was a whispered, "No."

Kou smiled evilly. "Oh, yes. Surely you didn't think frolicking in the hills for a couple months was a suitable punishment for what you did? Your captain went soft on you and Central 46 is fixing his mistake. Among others," she added coyly.

"I am not a criminal," Naomi stated slowly. She appeared to be in shock. "W-What happened was an accident. I was scared and I-,"

"-save it for Central 46," Kou interrupted harshly. "We don't care." She looked at her brother. "What do you think we should do?"

Masaru shrugged. "We could just keep going until we reach District 4. But with time being all shuffled in the Precipice World, we'd be late no matter what…"

"So stay and make camp and hope the senkaimon opens up in the morning?" Kou finished with a nod. "Sounds good to me. I'll find some firewood. You stay here and watch her."

"Whatever you say, boss," Masaru quipped sarcastically. Kou smirked but suddenly gave him a grave look. "Be careful around her. You saw the way she was banging her head against that tree. And you know what she did to those guys. There's something not right with that girl." Both looked over at Naomi. She was staring straight ahead, her expression blank. Her mouth mumbled words that were inaudible to them.

Masaru flashed her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You know I've always liked the crazy ones."

Kou rolled her eyes at him before disappearing into the forest, leaving Masaru and Naomi alone. He sighed and clapped his hands together. It echoed throughout the clearing but Naomi didn't appear to notice. "Alright, I see you're still in shock," Masaru said, scratching the back of his head. "That's cool. Just sit tight while I set up camp, okay?"

Naomi didn't respond, still mumbling words he couldn't understand.

"I'll take that as an affirmative," he mumbled before turning his back on her and rustling through his knapsack for camping materials.

Naomi was once more unresponsive to his words. Her gray eyes were wide and unseeing. Her mouth continued to move but the words barely left her lips. So quiet were her words that even in the deadest silence, they would still barely be audible. But along with the words' inaudibility was their clarity, slow and concise:

"I am not a criminal."

.

Adrenaline began pumping its way through her veins and the fogginess in her head dissipated instantly. A growl escaped her lips as she turned and delivered a hard kick into the girl's stomach, sending her flying into another tree.


	4. Something

**Something**

_His eyes slowly opened and a yawn escaped his lips as the silver-haired man awoke from sleep. Though it was strange; he didn't feel the tiredness he usually felt upon waking up. In fact, it was like he hadn't been asleep at all. He rested on a full bed in the corner of what appeared to a small bedroom in a beach bungalow. He could hear the waves of the oceans and seagulls screeching outside. Sunlight poured in through brown, shuttered windows._

_Instinctively, his hand went to the spot next to him, noting that it was still warm. In that same spot was a note on a half-folded white piece of paper with bloody fingerprints all over it. Pinching it between his fingers, he unfolded it and read:_

_HELP ME_

_The man frowned, reading the words over and over._

"_Kensei," a raspy, feminine voice called out to him. Kensei's head turned to the sound and he sat up immediately, covering his mouth to keep from letting out a scream._

_In the doorway was a woman with dark hair and ghostly bluish-white skin. Her lips were as white as her skin and dark circles appeared under her bloodshot gray eyes. They were wide and blank as she stared at him. Blood dripped onto the wood floor under her, pooling at her feet. A large bloodstain spread from her chest to her abdomen, bleeding through the fabric of the baby blue spring dress she wore. Deep gashes perforated all over her arms, legs and face. _

"_Help me," she choked as blood began filling her throat and falling from her mouth._

_Kensei's back found the wall as he stared at the bloody woman in horror._

_Tears began to fall from her eyes as she reached for him._

"_Please help me!" she cried before rushing him._

* * *

><p>Kensei awoke with a start, his chest heaving heavily as he gazed at the wall of his bedroom. Rain pounded on the roof of his home, with thunder booming not too far in the distance. He cursed as he drew a hand over his face. His head was pounding with a resulting hangover from the night before. He didn't remember much except for asking for bourbon instead of sake. He threw the cover off his half-naked body and stood up, knocking some empty bottles off the bed. He cursed when a quick look out the window told him it was early afternoon. He was way past due to be in the office.<p>

Kensei walked into the adjoining bathroom and began running the sink before running a hand over his scruffy face tiredly. He looked at himself in the mirror above the sink, noticing his bloodshot eyes.

_I'm never drinking that much again, _he lied to himself as began brushing his teeth.

As he brushed, his thoughts found their way back to the bloody woman in his nightmare. The same nightmare he had been having for a number of years, though since he returned to Soul Society it had been occurring less and less. The worst part of it wasn't the gruesome wounds all over her body; it was the fact that it was a body he had known so well in the past.

Kensei spit in the sink and shook his head, dispelling the flood of memories that were beginning to enter his mind.

_The past is the past, _he reminded himself. _It's time to leave it there for good._

He quickly showered and threw on his shihakusho and captain's haori before popping a couple aspirin and heading out the door.

* * *

><p>Chojiro's brow was set as he traveled down the empty hallway of the First Division offices headed to his captain's office early that morning. He had just passed a corner when he was pulled to the side suddenly. Thrown against the wall, he was about to berate his accoster but they beat him to it.<p>

"What the hell, Chojiro?" Ryuichi shouted at him angrily. A large, dark-skinned man and a woman of average height with caramel skin and dark hair stood behind him. Both wore surly expressions.

"I thought I told you to keep me updated with this situation," the bearded man seethed. "Where the hell is she?"

Chojiro glared at him. "And I thought I told you to keep this between you and me." He looked pointedly at the Shinigami behind Ryuichi: Tatsuo Asakawa and Yuka Shihōin, the seventh seat and eighth seat, respectively.

Yuka scoffed. "You should have known better than to trust Ryuichi to keep his mouth shut." Said man frowned and was about to argue but she continued. "At any rate, this isn't something that should've been kept from us in the first place. Is the captain really allowing Central 46 to question his authority like this? After all he's done for Soul Society?"

"Central 46 has always held absolute authority over the captain commander and the Gotei 13," Chojiro reminded her as she shoved Ryuichi off of him. "Don't be so foolish."

"But the captain made the right call in dealing with Naomi," Tatsuo deep voice grumbled. "We all know she wasn't in her right state of mind when she attacked those men. She was in a lot of pain and drugged out of her mind. Captain Unohana said so herself and her own men were the ones who were attacked. Matter of fact, what the hell is she even being charged for anyway? She didn't kill anyone."

Chojiro sighed exasperatedly. "I don't know."

"Then how the hell are you and the captain supposed to help her?" Ryuichi shouted at him. "She's sitting in jail cell right now with no fucking clue about what's going on here and it's not righ-,"

At that moment, Mayuri Kurotsuchi walked past them, heading towards their captain's office. He was flanked on either side by his lieutenant and a short, portly man who struggled to keep up with his superiors.

None appeared to notice the four as they passed and soon disappeared down the hall.

"I wonder what the hell he's doing here," Yuka mumbled.

Chojiro stared after the 12th Division captain, brows furrowed. "Something is wrong," he whispered. "Excuse me." And with that, he set off towards his original destination.

* * *

><p>"Captain Kurotsuchi," the captain-commander greeted. He sat at his desk, an eyebrow raised at the unexpected visit. "What brings you here so early on this rainy morning?" As if on cue, lightning flashed through the sky and a few seconds later, thunder boomed in the distance.<p>

Said captain cleared his throat before speaking. "It appears we have encountered an issue involving the return of your fourth seat. That is, it seems she hasn't returned at all."

Head Captain Yamamoto didn't react visibly to the news. "I see," he mused. "Then you should be informing Central 46 of this situation immediately. Why are you telling me?"

"You _are_ her captain" Captain Kurotsuchi sneered. "It _should_ be up to you to determine the right course of action to pursue, no?" He knew very well that the head captain had no jurisdiction in this matter; he only came to watch the man squirm in his powerlessness. There were too many times when the head captain had subjected him to such treatment. And Mayuri Kurotsuchi was not too prideful to enact revenge.

The old man's eyes narrowed, seeing right through the scientist's game. At the moment, his lieutenant entered his office. Chojiro bowed to Captain Kurotsuchi and nodded to Nemu before taking a stand at his captain's side. "Sir," he greeted coolly. His captain _hmphed _in response and Chojiro immediately took in his mood.

"What happened?" Captain Yamamoto asked gruffly. "If Central 46 has allowed you to share such delicate information, that is."

"They haven't," said the Twelfth's captain coyly. "They aren't yet privy to this sensitive information. But I will share it with you."

Captain Yamamoto glared at him, unimpressed.

"I am aware how busy the First can get with all the administrative tasks you perform here. So I will be judicious and tell you so you can get a head start on squad funeral preparations."

Chojiro's eyes widened. "What?" he choked. His captain remained silent.

"Of course, that is one option," Captain Kurotsuchi continued, his gold eyes lit with delight. "The other option would be to send out a search team and hope they find her before my squad does."

"What happened?" the head captain's voice came out hard as he reiterated his previous question. Captain Kurotsuchi's smile widened. Nemu remained passive while the short man appeared anxious. He was bespectacled with sparse, dark hair over his pale head. He cowered in the presence of the head captain's increasingly volatile temper. The temperature of the room was steadily growing.

"I will let my subordinate tell you himself," Captain Kurotsuchi snarled at the sweaty, wide-eyed man to step forward. The head captain turned his heated gaze on him.

"What is your name?" he demanded.

The man turned impossibly paler than he already was before answering. "O-Onoda T-T-Toyonobu," he stuttered. "Sir."

"Onoda Toyonobu," Captain Yamamoto addressed him formally. "Tell me what happened to my fourth seat."

Onoda gulped. "The other night I was assigned to monitor your fourth seat's return from a secret location. Yesterday, she was making steady progress from the location before stopping somewhere in the 10th District of East Rukongai. Soon after that, she made contact with the two individuals from the Stealth Force assigned to ensure she made it back to Seireitei safely."

Captain Yamamoto's looked surprise at this revelation and Captain Kurotsuchi smiled with glee at just how out of the loop he appeared to be.

"The three then continued on, making it to the 8th District by nightfall," Onoda hesitated. "However, none of them ever entered the senkaimon. And at some point in the night, all three spiritual signatures disappeared without a trace."

"Disappeared?" Chojiro interjected. "Weren't you monitoring them? How did their spiritual pressure just disappear? Where did it go? Why weren't we informed sooner?"

"I left for a few minutes to get some coffee and get some work from my office and when I came back, they were just gone, without a trace," Onoda explained, his cheeks flaming.

"And as for why you weren't informed," Captain Kurotsuchi interjected, "Well, you already know why."

Head Captain Yamamoto's opened his mouth to speak but the other captain continued.

"So you see, the situation is rather dire no matter how you spin it. We have three missing officers out in Rukongai somewhere. Three spiritual signatures simply gone. Now what could a possible explanation for such an occurrence."

Captain Kurotsuchi looked at his superior, awaiting an answer. When it appeared he was only going to receive the silent treatment, his smirk widened. "Lieutenant Sasakibe? What do_ you _think has happened? Or a better question-," he paused. "What do you think Central 46 believes has happened?"

"I don't know," the lieutenant seethed. His closed fists shook with anger. "But I do believe you have overstayed your welcome, Captain Kurotsuchi."

The heavily made-up man huffed, his brow twitching in irritation from the blatant disrespect of a subordinate. "Perhaps you are right. I suppose we will all see what Central 46 has to say about this soon, won't we?" And with that, he turned on his heel and left with Nemu and Onoda following closely behind.

Once they were gone, Chojiro looked at his longtime captain with a grievous expression. "Eijisai-dono. I don't want to believe that Naomi is dead…,"

"But the alternative is much worse," Head Captain Yamamoto finished, nodding in agreement. "And if her body isn't recovered soon, then the alternative is what Central 46 will choose to accept. Not that they need the evidence to come to such a conclusion anyway. They probably already have."

Chojiro's eyes widened. "But Captain Kurotsuchi said he hadn't-,"

"He didn't need to. Naomi should have been in their custody hours ago. They already know."

Chojiro shook his head in denial. "There's no way she's hurt anybody. Naomi would never do something like this."

Captain Yamamoto didn't say anything. Instead, he stood up and walked over to the balcony of his office. He gazed over the Seireitei as the thunderstorm raged on, seemingly lost in thought.

Finally, in a quiet voice, he finally spoke.

"We can only hope."

* * *

><p>Captain Kurotsuchi strolled through the hallways of the First Division, grumbling about Chojiro's attitude. "The head captain obviously has a problem controlling the behavior of his subordinates. That's why that girl is in her current predicament." Suddenly, he stopped.<p>

"Nemu," he addressed his daughter.

"Yes, Captain?" she replied, hands clasped together at her waist.

"Have the men found the bodies yet?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. They are still out in the field searching."

Captain Kurotsuchi rolled his eyes. "How annoying. Tell them they have until the afternoon to find them or I will make some bodies using their corpses instead."

"Yes, sir," she said with a nod.

"Honestly," he groaned. "How far could they have gotten with those things on the loose?" From the corner of his eyes, he could see Onoda mumbling something to himself. "Onoda."

Said man looked up, his eyes filled with fear.

"You did a good job in there," Mayuri complimented. "Now Central 46 is expecting you. Repeat the same thing before them and your involvement in this is done. You can go back to being the lab rat you've always wanted to be."

Onoda swallowed and hung his head in shame. "Yes, sir," he said sadly, walking off with his shoulders slumped.

Mayuri watched him go. "Nemu," he addressed his lieutenant once more. "Make sure you kill him when all of this over with. There's a 50/50 chance he'll either talk or kill himself after this. Both would arouse too much suspicion. I don't want anyone to know what's truly happened."

Nemu's face remained impassive as she spoke.

"Yes, Master Mayuri."

* * *

><p>"Captain Muguruma," Kensei's lieutenant, Shuuhei greeted as he walked into the main office area.<p>

Kensei grunted in response, not really in the mood to make small talk.

He passed various members who seemed to sense their captain was not feeling very amicable at the moment because they averted their gazes and mumbled their greetings. Shuuhei, unfortunately, did not seem to catch on and followed his captain into his office.

"Sir, there's something really important I need to talk to you about," Shuuhei said, taking a seat on the chair in front of Kensei's desk.

"Where's Mashiro?" Kensei asked, sitting down.

"I'm right here, dumb-dumb!" Mashiro sang, seemly appearing out of nowhere. Her shrill voice was like hell on Kensei's hangover and he immediately regretted asking. "Whaddya want?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the training session tomorrow afternoon," Kensei told her. "I need someone to help me kick these bums into shape."

Shuuhei frowned.

Mashiro bounced up and down in joy. "Of course I'll be there! I haven't had a good workout in ages!" She skipped out the room giddy, smiling menacingly at her subordinates as she passed them.

Kensei sighed and pulled out a pen, beginning the day's work. After a few seconds of no acknowledgement from his captain, Shuuhei cleared his throat.

"You still here?" Kensei grumbled, not looking up from his work.

"I told you I needed to talk to you about something important," Shuuhei reminded him.

"If it's about the magazine then it's not important. I have real work to do and so do you."

"I think losing our funding is a pretty serious matter," Shuuhei replied curtly.

Kensei finally lifted his head to look at him, something he had done sparingly since he returned to the Gotei 13. Not because he disliked Shuuhei; the young man was one of the hardest working Shinigami Kensei had ever met. Leading a division was not an easy job and Shuuhei had managed to keep the Ninth running smoothly and make sure _Seireitei Communication _met its monthly deadline. Even though Kensei found him lacking in certain areas, it gave him a little bit of pride that the crybaby he saved all those years ago had become a productive member of the Gotei 13.

It was that mark on his face. _His _mark etched permanently onto Shuuhei's skin for the whole world to see. The '69' on his chest at one time had been a source of pride for Kensei. After being exiled, it became a constant reminder of what had been taken away him by that treacherous bastard Aizen. Now, seeing it on Shuuhei's face, it only served to haunt him.

Kensei forced himself to try and look interested. "What's the issue with the funding?"

"Readership has been down since the war," Shuuhei told him gravely. "The authors of our most popular series have either been too busy recuperating or trying to get their squads running smoothly again. We have to maintain a certain amount of subscribers or we lose money."

Kensei sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. "This is exactly why I hated being editor-in-chief a century ago. Why don't you just _make_ the authors turn in something?"

Shuuhei's brow furrowed. "Sir, I can't _make _them do anything."

"Sure you can. Just threaten to take out their series permanently. Or threaten them. The latter tends to work best."

"C-captain," Shuuhei stammered incredulously.

"What?" Kensei said nonchalantly.

Shuuhei shook his head as he stood up to leave. "It's nothing, sir. I'll run a survey and just thrown in some fluff pieces."

"Look at you. Figuring things out on your own," Kensei said sarcastically before resuming his work. "Dismissed."

Shuuhei opened his mouth to say something else, then apparently thought better of it and left without another word.

Kensei yawned and continued to work, going through report after report. The transfer of Karakura Town into the Soul Society had to an influx of Hollow in the Soul Society and that resulted in the Gotei 13 being busier than what would be ideal at a time like this. And though he had only been back just shy of three months, the workload was already beginning to take its toll on him and he found himself just going through the motions.

Life in the World Living had been hard at first. Eventually he adjusted and even found a little bit of happiness in the situation. But now he was back in the position he lived for at some point and he felt listless.

Kensei didn't know why but _something_ had to give. He needed _something_ to get him going again.

But _something _was eluding him.

* * *

><p>Bright sunlight bared down on the two Shinigami as they walked through the mountain pass of Iburi, the 7th District of East Rukongai. The ground was cracked and baked in combination of the summer heat and from the storm that passed through earlier. Abandoned shanty houses were placed all along the mountain side. Their footfalls echoed in the emptiness of the path. One of them kicked a rock as the other shielded his face, looking about.<p>

"I think we should get back to others now, Juro," he said nervously. "The others will notice that we're gone and we'll get in trouble with the captain for slacking off."

"Relax, Hisoka. No one ever pays attention to us. We are just lab rats, after all," Juro said the last part bitterly. He was a broad-shouldered guy of average height with buzzed dark hair.

"True," his friend, a blonde of equal height, conceded. A thoughtful silence followed. Then Hisoka asked quietly. "Do you think they're all really dead?"

Juro shrugged. "There's a lot of blood, a lot of destruction in the area so obviously something went down. And Captain Kurotsuchi's experiments aren't exactly the snuggly pets… plus those guys wouldn't have seen 'em coming. Once we find the bodies we'll know exactly how bad it was."

More silence followed.

"You know," Hisoka began, staring at feet. "We graduated with Masaru and his sister." Juro eyed him warily from the side. "He was a real nice guy. Funny, too. His sister was kind of a bitch though."

Juro laughed. "Yeah, she was. I snuck into the girl's dorm one night for a little nooky with Asami, right before things were about to get good, Kou walks in."

"Shit," Hisoka chuckled.

"Yep. If I had known they were roommates I would have aborted mission. She ended up ratting us and I got detention for a month."

"Jeez, she really was a bitch. I heard that Naomi girl was nice before she went batshit crazy. She was pretty hot, too."

"Oh man!" Juro exclaimed. "Do you remember seeing her at the demonstration last year? In that skirt? I would have done anything to get in the ring with her just to get a closer look."

Hisako nodded in agreement. "Yeah but I heard she's kind of a sl-." He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Joru, noticing this, stopped as well. "Oi, what gives?"

His friend had turned, staring down a path that diverged to the right of the one they were on. A trail of dried blood followed along the same path, leading to sight neither of them were truly prepared to see. Their blood ran cold as the sound of the flies buzzing about and the stench of rotting flesh hit them.

Their screams could be heard all the way from District 8.


	5. Touch

**Touch**

Naomi laid upon the wet ground, gray eyes gazing up at the cloudless blue sky through narrowed slits. A passing thunderstorm had softened the rocky trail, making her battered body sink slightly into the mud. The shade of the mountain pass hid her from the sun's gaze and for that, she was grateful.

She unsure of how many hours had passed but frankly, it didn't matter. She was dying and she knew it. She could still feel blood slowly oozing out of her wounds. It was uncomfortable feeling, one that pushed her more into Death's arms just to end it sooner.

The only other thing that made her wish death would hurry up was relief. Sure, in one night she managed to lose every hope of redemption she might have had but if she died, Naomi realized, she didn't really need it. She would be reborn as a completely different person in the World of the Living with no memory of the life she held before. That meant no more nightmares about Aizen or strange dreams and hallucinations about a fair-haired child and teenager who shared her name and her family, friends or lovers.

Naomi would be free from all of it and she wanted nothing more. So she closed her eyes and awaited death like a woman awaits her lover's return from war. She was at peace.

* * *

><p>That is, until the screaming started.<p>

* * *

><p>Shuuhei stared at the computer screen on his desk blankly, hoping words would magically start appearing on the blank document any second now.<p>

Nothing.

He groaned in frustration and his head fell against the mahogany desk with a thud.

Shuuhei had no clue what do about the _Seireitei Communication_. Sixty-percent of their usual filler was gone due to the fact that the authors of the most popular series were unable to fulfill their commitments. Lieutenants Kira and Iba, as well as Captains Unohana, Kuchiki, Komamura and Soi Fon were the only ones available to turn in work but their particular works never brought a lot new eyes to the paper. Lieutenant Ise's column was one of the top three most popular items with the decline in readership came the decline of questions sent it for her to answer. Captain Ukitake's series was always on hiatus. Renji, Ikkaku and Captain Hitsugaya were spending all their spare time training. And Rangiku was…

Shuuhei sighed. _Rangiku just hasn't been herself since the end of the war, _he thought to himself sadly. _She hardly ever goes out and when she does, she's so quiet. She's not the Rangiku I knew before._

Shuuhei was not oblivious. He knew she and Gin Ichimaru had a long standing relationship long before they met. But Gin had been a traitor. _I don't understand how she could still care for him so much after all that he did, _Shuuhei thought angrily. _He almost helped bring about the end of the world, damnit!_

In his frustration, he just wished he had someone to talk to. Izuru was his best friend and he was smart but he couldn't talk about feelings with him. Guys didn't do that. He needed a woman's perspective.

The image of a pale-faced woman with dark hair entered his mind and Shuuhei smiled sadly. His good friend, Naomi, was often the person he went to when he had a lot on his mind. When he was beginning to get overwhelmed with his workload as acting captain and editor-in-chief, she helped him out by offering fresh ideas and taking over the reins when he needed her to. Neither of them knew how but she was rather skillful in managing how to run a paper. They used to joke that she probably ran a paper herself when she was a human in the World of the Living.

But more than anything, Shuuhei missed their conversations. Naomi knew just what to say to make him feel better or make him rightfully feel like a dolt. He wanted to tell her about Rangiku and the new captains. He wanted to know how he should deal with Captain Muguruma who appeared to hate him for no reason. Shuuhei would tell Naomi he figured it was because of the tattoo and she would tell him no one ever truly hates someone for something as shallow as that. Or she would call Captain Muguruma was just a jackass because Shuuhei was extremely likeable. At least, that's what Shuuhei would _want _her to say. The thought made him laugh and his heart hurt.

_Why, Naomi? Why did you have to do hurt those guys? You would never do something like that for no reason, _Shuuhei pondered morosely. _So, why?_

* * *

><p>She was being touched and there was nothing she could do to stop it. A deep voice- or was it voices? She couldn't tell, laughed and moaned in her ear.<p>

Wet. She felt something wet and slimy on her body.

Her body. It was so heavy, like lead. It didn't help that there was added pressure on top of her.

So uncomfortable. She didn't like it. She wanted it to stop.

_Stop, _she tried to say. _Stop touching me._

She never liked being touched without permission. Never.

The touches didn't stop and she felt more rough hands on other parts of her body.

_No. Please, stop._

There were hands on her chest, on her stomach- _No!_

She began panicking now. There had to be a way to stop this.

Hands in her hair and rubbing on her thighs.

_No, no, no, no._

Her fingers flexed.

The darkness in her head began to recede.

_Fen? Where are you? I can't feel you anywhere. I need you._

She received no response.

The hands found their way to her core. More kisses. This time on her lips. A slimy creature forced its way into her closed mouth.

She screamed.

"No!"

* * *

><p>The staff of the fourth division desperately tried to hold down the young woman as she thrashed about wildly, screaming.<p>

"No!" Naomi roared, baring her teeth like wild animal. Her wrists and legs were leather-bound at each corner of the bed. But with the strength of her tantrum, the leather began ripping.

"Someone get Captain Unohana, now!" a nurse shouted. "She is out of control!"

Naomi turned a crazed glare onto her, making the brunette woman go pale.

"No!" she screamed repeatedly.

Another nurse through his hands up in the air in defeat. "I'm sorry! I'm not going to end up like those other guys!" He ran to the door, throwing it open to revealing the Fourth Division captain. "Captain Unohana," the man squeaked in surprise.

Said captain smiled down at the blonde-haired nurse empathetically. "I understand you all may have some reservations about aiding this particular patient. If that is the case, you are free to leave. I will take over from here."

Some of the staff released Naomi immediately. Others looked at their captain wide-eyed, then hung their heads in shame as they backed away from the bound patient. They all filed out of the room, leaving Captain Unohana alone with the deranged patient.

The older woman regarded Naomi with soft blue eyes.

"I understand you are in a lot of pain, Fourth Seat Reed," she said as she slowly approached Naomi's bedside. Naomi hissed at her in reply.

"I want ease it for you," Captain Unohana coaxed as she gently placed a hand against Naomi's forehead. "But first, you have to relax." With those words, Captain Unohana released a kido that made Naomi suddenly go limp. Her back fell against the sheets of her hospital bed and the screams got lost in her throat. Her eyes rolled around the room lazily.

"There we go," Captain Unohana cooed as she brushed some hair out of her face. "It's going to be okay." She unbuttoned Naomi's hospital gown, revealing a bandaged, blood-stained upper torso. She _tsked._

"I'm afraid that you've reopened your wounds," she revealed with a frown. "Unfortunately, I can't give you any morphine. Central 46 says they want you lucid when you are to be interrogated." The captain pulled out a syringe from her sleeve. "This is the best I can do at the moment. It will take away some of the pain but it won't numb you completely like morphine."

"Captain Unohana," Naomi's voice came out hoarsely.

The healer paused just as she was about to inject the drug into her patient's arm. Frankly, she was surprised Naomi was lucid enough to realize who she was.

"Yes?"

Naomi swallowed. Her throat felt dry. And the room wouldn't stop spinning. But she needed to know.

"Those kids… are they…gonna be… okay?" Forming a sentence was harder than Naomi remembered.

Captain Unohana smiled at her. "Their injuries were far more severe than your own but yes; they will make a full recovery."

Naomi stared at the ceiling, trying to focus. "Good." She didn't flinch when she felt the needle in her arm which was something because she _hated_ needles.

"Cause when I get my hands on them, they're gonna wish they never met me."

* * *

><p>Within several hours, word spread quickly about the dramatic return of the "Valentine's Day Terror." Rumors were spread even faster and not many were in Naomi's favor. Some claimed she was a hero, having saved the lives of the two Shinigami and suffering life-threatening injuries herself. Others disputed this, declaring that she attacked them trying to escape, but was too badly injured to get far enough. Some even went as far to suggest she injured herself to gain sympathy, thus solidifying her psychopath status.<p>

This led to an influx of people in the Fourth desperate to get a glimpse of the wild woman. Naomi frowned as she got a glimpse of all the people in the hallway when Captain Unohana opened the door to her room. The captain stood in the doorway and faced the curious crowd, a pleasant smile on her face.

"I wish to inform you all that this is an infirmary, not a zoo. I will exit this room in a few short minutes. If this crowd has not dispersed by that time, then I will personally escort all of you out one by one."

The veiled threat had its intended effect; droves of Shinigami began leaving the premises at once.

Captain Unohana closed the door and turned to Naomi who was staring at her clasped hands, her lips pursed into a thin line.

"I see you're sitting up," Captain Unohana noted. "That's a very good sign."

Naomi didn't say anything.

Captain Unohana checked the monitor and placed a hand against her forehead.

"Vitals are good. Temperature is fair. For you, anyway." She smiled at the young woman who didn't seem to find their inside joke funny in the least.

"In any case," Captain Unohana continued. "I imagine you'll be fully recovered in a few days' time, which is impressive given the condition you were in." She untied the front of Naomi's plain white yukata. "I'm just going to apply some quick healing kido to your wounds."

"Captain Unohana," Naomi finally spoke. Her voice was still rough.

"Hm?"

Her next words came through gritted teeth. "Why are you doing a nurse's job?"

The older woman didn't miss a beat as she continued with her work. Her hands began glowing green and Naomi felt a cooling sensation on her chest.

"I have taken it upon myself to be your primary caregiver," she answered simply.

Naomi scowled at the blatant lie. "Or no one else can stand to be in the same room with me."

It was Captain's Unohana turn to be silent.

"I don't remember a lot," Naomi's voice dropped to a pathetic whisper. "Just flashes." Captain Unohana continued without a word. "It was almost like an out-of-body experience. I can see myself grabbing the katana out of the sheath. I just start swinging and it connects somehow. There's screaming. There was blood on the wall-,"

"Fourth Seat Re-," Captain Unohana tried to interject but Naomi was in a trance.

"And then I open the door and there's-,"

"Naomi," her name comes out of the captain's mouth sternly—stern for Captain Unohana anyway and she snaps out of it.

"Can you at least tell me what I'm being charged with?" Naomi murmured, looking up finally. "That's all I wanna know."

Captain Unohana gazed at the other woman sadly. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door opened. A tall, elderly man with long, slicked-back white hair with a matching thick beard entered the room. He was dressed in immaculate silk robes, red and black in color with gold accents. He wore a flat hat with similar colors. His eyes were beady and sharp. Naomi recognized him immediately: Gentarō Enomoto. He was flanked on either side by two men with staffs, dressed head to toe in black.

"I'm afraid Retsu Unohana has no right to share that information with the likes of you," he hissed. He turned his sharp gaze to the captain. "You are dismissed."

Captain Unohana nodded once, closing Naomi's robe before sending a sympathetic gaze towards Naomi. "I trust you won't take too long, Lord Enomoto. My patient is under a lot of duress right now and needs to rest."

Naomi smiled gratefully at her.

Lord Enomoto scoffed in indignation. "I trust _you_ understand that this woman _is _a criminal and that, despite these lofty accommodations, she will be treated as such."

Captain Unohana smiled. "Of course. But please understand I'm more than aware of how these interrogations can go. I will not compromise the health of my patient due to her current social status. _Am I clear_?"

Translation: "If you lay a hand on her, I will end you and make it look like an accident." The look on Lord Enomoto's face revealed her message was received.

Naomi smirked. Captain Unohana left without another word and Lord Enomoto cleared his throat.

"Fourth Seat Reed Naomi," he spat her title bitterly, standing at the foot of her bed. "I would be a far wealthier man if I had a yen for every time you and I have come face-to-face in these dire circumstances."

Naomi glared at him. "What do you want?"

He grinned evilly, revealing repulsive yellow teeth. "Why, the truth, of course. As a dignitary of Central 46, it is my sole duty to seek out the truth. My brethren want to know why you failed to show up at the time you were due to return, so they can justly punish those responsible for the failure."

"Wait," Naomi choked. "So this has nothing to do with what happened before?"

Lord Enomoto sighed. "You foolish, foolish girl." He sat the foot of her bed and patted her cover thigh with his gloved hand. It took everything in Naomi not recoil or vomit at his touch.

"If it is solely fault of your own that you did not enter imprisonment as intended, then you will charged with treason."

Naomi's eyes widened. "What-,"

"- and that charge will be appended to the previous charges of treason in the attack of a captain and treason in committing terroristic actions."

Naomi's heart thumped wildly in her chest which reflected on her heart monitor. Lord Enomoto's dark grin widened at her reaction.

"So," he said simply. "Let's start by you telling me exactly what happened last night."


End file.
